<p class="bodytext">But she said to him, &#8220;No, my brother! Don&#8217;t humiliate me! This just isn&#8217;t done in Israel! Don&#8217;t do this foolish thing!

Then Amnon greatly despised her.<n id="1" /> His disdain toward her surpassed the love he had previously felt toward her.<n id="2" /> Amnon said to her, &#8220;Get up and leave!&#8221;p>

(Now she was wearing a long robe,<n id="1" /> for this is what the king&#8217;s virgin daughters used to wear.) So Amnon&#8217;s<n id="2" /> attendant removed her and bolted the door<n id="3" /> behind her.

Now don&#8217;t let my lord the king be concerned about the report that has come saying, &#8216;All the king&#8217;s sons are dead.&#8217; It is only Amnon who is dead.&#8221;p>

Yes!<n id="1" /> The king may<n id="2" /> listen and deliver his female servant<n id="3" /> from the hand of the man who seeks to remove<n id="4" /> both me and my son from the inheritance God has given us!&#8217;<n id="5" />

For I made this vow<n id="1" /> when I was living in Geshur in Aram: &#8216;If the <sc>Lordsc> really does allow me to return to Jerusalem,<n id="2" /> I will serve the <sc>Lordsc>.&#8217;&#8221;

Hushai replied to Absalom, &#8220;No, I will be loyal to the one whom the <sc>Lordsc>, these people, and all the men of Israel have chosen.<n id="1" />

honey, curds, flocks, and cheese.<n id="1" /> For they said, &#8220;The people are no doubt hungry, tired, and thirsty there in the desert.&#8221;<n id="2" />p>

<p class="bodytext">Then Joab blew the trumpet<n id="1" /> and the army turned back from chasing Israel, for Joab had called for the army to halt.

<t /><p class="bodytext">Then Ahimaaz the son of Zadok said, &#8220;Let me run and give the king the good news that the <sc>Lordsc> has vindicated him before his enemies.&#8221;<n id="1" />

<p class="bodytext">Then the Cushite arrived and said,<n id="1" /> &#8220;May my lord the king now receive the good news! The <sc>Lordsc> has vindicated you today and delivered you from the hand of all who have rebelled against you!&#8221;<n id="2" />

So the victory of that day was turned to mourning as far as all the people were concerned. For the people heard on that day, &#8220;The king is grieved over his son.&#8221;

<p class="bodytext">Abishai son of Zeruiah replied, &#8220;For this should not Shimei be put to death? After all, he cursed the <sc>Lordsc>&#8217;s anointed!&#8221;

<p class="bodytext">When he came from Jerusalem to meet the king, the king asked him, &#8220;Why didn&#8217;t you go with me, Mephibosheth?&#8221;

But Barzillai was very old &#8211; eighty years old, in fact &#8211; and he had taken care of the king when he stayed in Mahanaim, for he was a very rich<n id="1" /> man.

<p class="bodytext">Barzillai replied to the king, &#8220;How many days do I have left to my life, that I should go up with the king to Jerusalem?

David said to Gad, &#8220;I am very upset! I prefer that we be attacked by the <sc>Lordsc>, for his mercy is great; I do not want to be attacked by men!&#8221;<n id="1" />p>

<p class="bodytext">On the seventh day the child died. But the servants of David were afraid to inform him that the child had died, for they said, &#8220;While the child was still alive he would not listen to us<n id="1" /> when we spoke to him. How can we tell him that the child is dead? He will do himself harm!&#8221;<n id="2" />p>

<p class="bodytext">Jonadab, the son of David&#8217;s brother Shimeah, said, &#8220;My lord should not say, &#8216;They have killed all the young men who are the king&#8217;s sons.&#8217; For only Amnon is dead. This is what Absalom has talked about<n id="1" /> from the day that Amnon<n id="2" /> humiliated his sister Tamar.

So get up now and go out and give some encouragement to<n id="1" /> your servants. For I swear by the <sc>Lordsc> that if you don&#8217;t go out there, not a single man will stay here with you tonight! This disaster will be worse for you than any disaster that has overtaken you from your youth right to the present time!&#8221;p>